British Wrestling Surprised by 2020 Olympic Games Exclusion

British officials are 'surprised and very disappointed' by the International Olympic Committee Executive Board's decision to drop Wrestling from the 2020 Olympic Games.

Wrestling, along with softball, karate, roller sports, sport climbing, squash, wakeboarding and wushu, will now present their case in May for inclusion in the Games and could therefore earn a reprieve.

One of those eight sports will be reccomeded by the IOC executive board at September's 125th IOC Session in Buenos Aires, Argentina for the additional spot.

The Olympic Programme Commission reviews every sport following each Games, and British Wrestling chief executive Colin Nicholson is amazed by the move.

"I'm surprised and very disappointed and we would hope for a reversal before the final decision is taken in September," Nicholson said.

"Wrestling will need to go into full lobbying mode to encourage all the members of the IOC executive committee to support wrestling now it's been put into the area where it needs to compete against other sports to be added back into the program.

"We will be writing members of the IOCV who we have relationships with.

"It will remove one of the goals for the athletes who will need to focus on the Commonwealth Games."

Olga Butkevych, Britain's sole wrestling competitor at London 2012, said: "I am very disappointed to hear of the IOC decision but I would like to do my best in 2016 but it is a real challenge without funding."

British Wrestling saw its £1.4m UK Sport funding removed after London 2012, with sole competitor Butkevych eliminated in the opening round.

Wrestling, which remains one of 14 sports in the Commonwealth Games, has been contested at every Olympics since 1986, bar Paris 1900, with the women's competition having been introduced in 2004.

"UK Sport has chosen not to support our athletes for Rio 2016 but we have absolute faith in them," Nicholson added.

"Wrestling is a small sport so it's actually quite difficult for it to achieve Olympic level athletes from a small base but the grass roots base is now growing.

"Yes it was disappointing that UK Sport chose not to fund the athletes, yes it's extremely disappointing that the IOC is moving to remove it from the Olympics.

"But the other hand there is a very positive move from wrestling grass roots and an aspiration for athletes at the Commonwealth Games."

In London, 344 athletes competed in 18 medals events, the third largest amount of golds available after athletics and swimming.

Both taekwondo and modern penthalon have survived after they were considered as potential omissions from the Olympic schedule. Golf and rugby sevens will be reintroduced for the Rio Olympics in 2016.